23 Places to Visit in Santiniketan 2026

Our detailed Santiniketan Bolpur travel guide provides insights into must-visit places and unique sightseeing opportunities. Whether you’re planning a trip from Kolkata or Calcutta, this guide ensures a memorable journey.

Embark on an enchanting tour of Shantiniketan, a gem in West Bengal, renowned for its cultural heritage and serene beauty. Santiniketan, a place of significance, draws numerous tourists every year. Shantiniketan Tourism offers an immersive experience with its attractions and picturesque spots.

Discover tourist places, hidden gems, and scenic attractions that make Shantiniketan a top destination for a fulfilling tour. Let our travel guides lead you through this beautiful region and create unforgettable memories on your tour of Santiniketan.

Note: Santiniketan, the home of Rabindranath Tagore, is now on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

2N/3D Days Santiniketan Tour itinerary

• Day 1: Gitanjali Rail Museum, Kankalitala Temple, West Bengal, Sayar Bithi Park, Biswa Bangla Haat, Prakriti Bhavan Nature Art Museum,34 ft Buddha statue, Bolpur, Amar Kutir, Kopai River, Amar Kutir Eco park, Srijani Shilpagram, Ballavpur wildlife sanctuary/Bolpur Deer park, Palashboni Salboni forest, Khoai Sonajhuri Bolpur or Sonibarer haat.
• Day 2: Surul Jamidarbari/Rajbari, Sriniketan, Pratichi shantiniketan, Visva Bharati Kala Bhavan, Visva Bharati Museum, Visva Bharati Santiniketan ashram, Raipur Rajbari.
• Day 3: Kalikapur Rajbari, Ghursia, Fossil Park.

পড়ুন:- ৩ দিনের বোলপুর শান্তিনিকেতন ভ্রমণ ও দর্শনীয় স্থান এর গাইড

Shantiniketan Travel Plan from Kolkata

We started our tour from Sealdah with the Kanchanjanga Express at 6:35 am. We reach the Bolpur station around 9:30 am.

In my Santiniketan tour plan list, we first visited the Gitanjali Rail Museum opposite Bolpur railway station. It’s my first visit to Shantiniketan Bolpur for sightseeing.

Next, we booked a Toto to reach Amar Kutir from the Gitanjali Rail Museum. In this way, we visit Kankalitala temple, then Biswa Bangla Haat, Prakriti Bhavan, and go to Amar Kutir, where we stay for the 1st day in Bolpur.

After that, we had lunch and rested at our hotel, and in the evening, we visited Amar Kutir premises, the Kopai River, and went shopping there. Last, we came back and had dinner at Amar Kutir Hensel again.

The next day, we left Amar Kutir and visited Santiniketan, where we booked another budget hotel. While on this journey, we visited Srijani Shilpagram and Ballavpur Deer Park and reached the hotel.

We kept our luggage in our new room and visited Biswabharati Santiniketan Ashram, Kala Bhavan, and the Biswa Bharati Museum.

Next, we had our lunch at the Hotel Ayojon. Then we went to the Khoai boner hat, held every Saturday. 

We shopped for locally handmade items such as sarees, dresses, clay ornaments, metal jewellery, various Kantha-stitched garments, etc. The ‘Sonibarer haat’ is very popular. We returned to the hotel in the evening after visiting most of the tourist spots in Bolpur and Santiniketan.

On the last day, we visited some unique places near Bolpur. First, we visited Kalikapur Rajbari, about 60 km from Bolpur. Next, we visit Ghurisha, where you can find two terracotta temples, the oldest temple in the Birbhum district. Please note that we keep our first Toto in Ilambazar and take another for Ghurisha.

After, we visit Wood Fossil Park. It is a newly created tourist destination. On our return, we saw Raipur Rajbati and Surul Rajbari. Today, the Toto cost is 1000 rupees.

In the evening, we took the Kanchanjanga Express and returned to Sealdah. Our Shantiniketan from Kolkata is here.

We miss some tourist spots in Shantiniketan, like Hetampur Rajbari, SABUJ BAN (Plant Museum), Joydeb Kenduli, Itonda, Fullora Temple, etc.

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1. Gitanjali Rail Museum

Gitanjali Rail Museum is about 3 kilometres from Viswa-Bharati premises and right next to Bolpur Station. It is the famous museum of the Indian Railways. This museum has very rich information about Rabindranath Tagore and Viswa-Bharati.

This museum is full of unknown information and images of Rabindranath. You can see Rabindranath’s armchair and a table, and find many histories of Rabindranath and Santiniketan on the large museum’s first floor.

Inside the walls are beautiful craftsmanship and frescoes of Plaster of Paris. Here is the special Saloon Coach of the railways, by which Rabindranath left Santiniketan forever in July 1941.

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2. Kankalitala Temple travel guide

Kankalitala is situated on the bank of the Kopai River of Birbhum. This place is one of the holy places in West Bengal. It’s the 51st “SATI PITH.” As per Hindu mythology. Sati Maa’s waist fell here. Every Saturday, a huge crowd gathers for Kankali Maa’s puja.

3. Biswa Bangla hat

Biswa Bangla Hat in Santiniketan is a new travel destination for tourists and shopping lovers. It is near the PRANTIK station. Here, you get a wide range of handmade art and craft products, all unique in style.

The product or art, like jute bags, painted umbrellas, hand-painted sarees, other tribal paintings, wooden and clay sculptures, etc., is mind-blowing.

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4. Prakriti Bhavan Nature Art Museum

Prakriti Bhavan Nature Art Museum is situated in the Ballavpur area and is the way to Amar Kutir. Here, you can see a fascinating collection of natural art and craft, all created naturally in different places in India.

This museum is made with natural craft. The craft is made of wood, metal, stone, and other materials.

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5. Amar Kutir

Amar Kutir was founded by the freedom fighter, Late Mr Susen Mukhopadhyay, in early 1923 with objectives envisaged by Rabindranath Tagore in his experiments in rural reconstruction at Sriniketan. It’s a must-visit on my Santiniketan tour plan.

After that, Amar Kutir Society for Rural Development (AKSRD) was established in 1978 as a self-supported, voluntary organisation for rural development. The society has been organising training and production of traditional handicrafts in the district and now supports more than a thousand artisans with marketing, technical Improvement, and design development.

6. Amar Kutir ECO-Tourism Park

While in Amar Kutir, we visited the Amar Kutir ECO-park, within walking distance from the Amar Kutir premises. You can have a beautiful evening in this wide area. The time is from 8 am to 5 pm, and the entry fee is 10 rupees. You can go boating on the surrounding pond for 20 rupees for 2 hours.

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7. Srijani Shilpagram Shantiniketan Bolpur 

Srijani Shilpagram showcases the homes, lifestyles, and handicrafts of the eastern and northeastern states of India. This place has been designed as a hub for rural artists to sell their clothes and handicrafts.

A government initiative, Srijani Shilpagram, started in 2008. West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Sikkim, the seven sisters in the northeast, and the Port Blair and Andaman Nicobar Islands are also represented.

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8. Ballavpur Wildlife Sanctuary, Bolpur, Shantiniketan

Ballavpur Wildlife Sanctuary is locally known as the Bolpur deer park. Here you can see lots of deer. The entry ticket is just 10 rupees. Inside the Ballavpur deer park, you can see many deer walking here and there.

There, you can see a watchtower and climb to the top to see almost the entire park. It is a large area for walking. You can take a long walk and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.

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9. Kopai River

Kopai River is also known as the Sal River. The tributary of Mayurakshi flows through cities such as Santiniketan, Bolpur, Kankalitila, and Labpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India. It is a small river in the dry season, but an overflow in the monsoon season. Rabindranath Tagore sat on the bank of the Kopai River and wrote Amader Choto Nadi.

10. Visva Bharati Santiniketan

In 1863, Debendra Nath Tagore, the father of Rabindranath Tagore, founded this ashram in the northern part of Bolpur city for God-oriented and ritualistic worship. In 1901, Rabindranath established Brahma Vidyalaya in Santiniketan, which later became Visva-Bharati University.

Rabindranath spent most of his life in the second half at Santiniketan Ashram. On the Shantiniketan premises, Rabindranath built many buildings for his residence and for other Co-operators.

Later, this building became an important tourist spot by housing various artists and sculptors of the ashram. In 1951, Viswa Bharati University became the Central University of India.

Biswa Bharati is divided into two parts: Sriniketan and Santiniketan. Both places have many historical houses. They are:-

1. Santoshalaya
2. Singha Sadan
3. Gairik
4. Sanskarbhawan
5. Dwarik Bithika
6. Deholi
7. Notun-Bari (New House)
8. Prak-Kuthir
9. Satish Kuthir
10. Satya Kuthir
11. Gour Prangan
12. Patha Bhavan Office (Old Library)

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11. Visva Bharati Kala Bhavan

The Kala Bhavana compound is an extensive area in Santiniketan featuring sculptures and other artworks. Many of these are in the open air, created by the renowned sculptor Ramkinkar Baij.

I visited the Kala Bhavana compound for about 45 minutes to see these. Don’t miss “Kalo Bari” or “The Black House.” It looks like a primary school in a village.

Nandan Mela

The fair takes place every year on the 3rd of December at Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, before the Poush Mela. The student celebrates the birth anniversary of Mr Nandalal Bose with drama, Painting, and various cultural programs.

12. Rabindra Bhaban Museum 

The Rabindra Bhaban Museum comprises 5 houses. The five houses’ names are Pratichi, Konark, Punocho, Raktakorobi, and Shyamoli. These are the names of his literature, which have named his houses. Rabindranath Tagore has spent a significant part of his life here, and not only that, but much of his great work has been produced here.

Rabindra Bhaban Museum has 40,000 books and 12,000 journals, and it also preserves the poet’s photographs, memories, images, and objects. It is one of Santiniketan’s most exciting and must-visit places, and photography is prohibited here.

13. Sonibarer hat / Khoai boner haat/ Sonajhuri haat

Khoai boner hat, the local people also call it Sonibarer hat. In this hat, Tribal people perform their unique traditional Santali dance with bits of Madol. Many people sell handmade products such as sarees, dresses, clay ornaments, metal jewellery, various Kantha-stitched garments, etc.

Khoai boner Haat is usually held every Saturday (now Sunday), and the hat starts from 2 pm onwards and goes up to sunset.

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14. Kalikapur Rajbari

Kalikapur Rajbari was a very famous Rajbari in Kalikapur village. It is 25 km from Bolpur and 5 km from Ilambazar. This rajbari has a Durga corridor and a terracotta Shiva temple beside the palace.

Today, this rajbari is tottering. These family members live in a part of the house. In West Bengal’s history, this house is significant. Please include it in your Santiniketan tour plan.

15. Ghurisha Terracota Temple

Ghurisha village is located less than 7 kilometres away from Ilambazar. Here, two old terracotta temples are the Charchala temple of Raghunathjee and the Nabaratna Gopal – Gopal-Lakshmi-Janardan Temple. The ‘

Charchala temple of Raghunathjee is the oldest temple in Birbhum. Both temples were built in the middle of the eighteenth century. You should add this place to your list of places to visit in Bolpur.

16. Wood Fossil Park, Birbhum

In 2015, archaeologists found some plants while digging soil in the small village of Amkhoi, in the Chawpahari jungle of Ilambazar, Bolpur. The woods are made of plants that were part of the landscape thousands of years ago. After recovering many more wood fossils, the government created the park. It is open now.

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17. Raipur Rajbari Birbhum

Raipur Zamindar Bari is near Bolpur, about 7 km from the Bolpur station. This house is 150 years old. Now, the house is almost ruined. Rabindranath’s family had a close relationship with the zamindar of Raipur. Rabindranath Tagore’s father bought land from the Raipur Zamindar to construct the Biswa Bharati Ashram.

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18. Surul Raj Bari

The Rajbari at Surul, Shantiniketan. The Surul Rajbari is 275 years old. Surul village is near the Visva-Bharati University Sriniketan campus.

In the Surul village, a large number of Bagdis, Bauris, Haris and Doms live. The Sarkar family, who were Zamindars of Birbhum District, brought a group of Brahmins and other upper castes.

Surul, the Sarkar family, played an important role in the socio-economic development of the entire area and the establishment of a global organisation of national importance. Durga Puja is very famous in the family of Surul Zamindar.

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19. Sriniketan Bolpur

Sriniketan is another Biswa Bharati University campus, located on the site of the Bolpur railway station. It has many schools and hostels inside the premises.

20. Santiniketan Poush Mela

In the year 1250, Bengali year 7th poush, Debendranath took Brahma dharma with his 20 followers. Debendranath had been thinking about the Bolpur Poush Mela that day. To fulfil his father’s desire, in 1302 Bengali year 1895, Rabindranath started the Paush festival. Initially, the fair was held on the grounds of the Brahma mandir or the Northern Kanchmadir area.

Later, as the fair area expanded, it was held at the East Palli ground and known as Bhuban Danga Mela. It is not only the memories of Robi Thakur, but I also felt the importance of festivals in the cultural life of Bengal during the Poush festival. It started in December every year. Add this to your Santiniketan tour plan.

21. Basanta Utsab

Rabindranath Tagore introduced Basant Utsav, or the spring festival, in Shantiniketan to restore the joy of Holi. Now, it is one of the prime festivals of Bengali culture.

Occasionally, students at this university wear yellow. University students and teachers jointly organise cultural events on the Mela ground. Remember that hotel rates are very high this time, so make a proper budget for your Santiniketan tour plan.

22. Joydev Kenduli Mela

You can visit Joydev Kenduli Mela, famous for the Baul and Kirtan Mela in West Bengal. It happens in the Birbhum district. You can reach both Bolpur and Durgapur by either route. See the video for the complete guide.

23. Magh Mela Sriniketan 

The famous Magh Mela started in Bolpur Sriniketan and is now 97 years old. The date is the 6th to the 8th of February. The 7th of February is the fireworks day.

The fair is mainly for agricultural products, Santiniketan’s handmade products, and artists: this year, 125 stalls on the Mela ground. The speciality is that there is no advertisement shown in the entire Mela ground.

Tips for Bolpur

1. You can skip the 3rd-day Toto car fare; it will reduce your tour cost by up to 1000 rupees, but I suggest visiting there while you are in Bolpur.
2. Several Toto cars are available in Santiniketan, so there is no need to book a single Toto for your entire tour, which will cost almost double.
3. Train fare is 80 rupees per person. Whenever you book your e-ticket, always do IRCTC travel insurance. It will help you in the future.

Conclusion

Santiniketan in West Bengal is rich in cultural history and knowledge. This place is highly associated with the Tagore family. His idea of a harmonious fusion of education, art, and nature is the town’s focal point. Santiniketan’s rich cultural tapestry is showcased in the university’s museums and galleries.

There are many attractions within the Visva-Bharati campus, such as the Rabindra Bhavan Museum, which explores Tagore’s life and work. You will explore many regional artists who produce handcrafted goods in Sonajhuri haat. Multiple malls and temples are also here, which light up the mood of every visitor. It’s the realm where nature, spirituality, and art all come together to leave a lasting impression on everyone’s heart.